Hacking NATO, signing up CGI and PTO shopping

By FCW Staff

Oct 15, 2014

Russian hackers spy on NATO, Ukraine via Microsoft Windows

Russian hackers used a bug that affects all versions of Microsoft Windows to target the computer networks of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Ukrainian and Western government organizations, iSight Partners announced.

The bug is a “zero-day” vulnerability, meaning prior to its revelation, it was not known to the IT security community.

The hackers also targeted European telecom firms and a U.S. academic organization, iSight said, adding that limited information on the vulnerability means other groups could be targeted.

Microsoft is making a patch for the bug, iSight said in announcing the threat.

ITAPS signs up HealthCare.gov creator

The public sector division of the Information Technology Industry Council's IT Alliance for Public Sector signed CGI Group Inc. as its newest member, ITAPS said in an Oct. 15 statement.

CGI, which was a lead contractor in building the original HealthCare.gov website, is a global information technology and business process services firm.

With the addition of CGI, ITAPS said its membership stands at 23, up from an initial 14 when it formed in April 2013.

PTO shopping for tech to automate acquisition systems

The Patent and Trademark Office is looking into whether off the shelf, enterprise-wide products are available that would help it conduct tasks related to the acquisition process, GCN reports.

The products, sought by PTO’s chief financial offer, would include acquisition workload planning, distribution, transition and tracking technologies as well as tools to facilitate the evaluation of vendor proposals.

Democrats will vote on an appropriations package to reopen all the federal agencies shuttered during the partial shutdown, but the lack of wall funding will likely means the measure won't get a vote in the Senate.